the six-minute real estate lawyer 2016 biographical ... · bram costin lawyer profile mccarthy...
TRANSCRIPT
Biographical Summaries of Presenters
[Presented in alphabetical order]
November 8, 2016
THE SIX-MINUTE
Real Estate Lawyer 2016
Bob Aaron | Aaron & Aaron | Barristers and Solicitors Ten King Street East Suite 1400 | Toronto, ON, M5C 1C3 | Phone: 416-364-9366 | Fax: 416-364-3818|[email protected] | www.aaron.ca
Bob Aaron is a sole practitioner with Aaron & Aaron in Toronto. A graduate of the University of Toronto andOsgoode Hall Law School, he was called to the Ontario bar in 1972. Bob practises in the areas of real estate,corporate and commercial, wills and estates, and expert opinions in real estate negligence cases.
In 2014, Bob was presented with the first President’s Award of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors.
Since 1993, Bob has presented papers to continuing education programs at the Law Society of Upper Canada, theOntario Bar Association Institute, the Continuing Legal Education Society of Nova Scotia, the Toronto PoliceService Fraud Squad, the Toronto Real Estate Board, the Association of Certified Forensic Investigators of Canada,the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Real Estate Institute of Canada, Waterloo Regional Police FraudConference, Thunder Bay Law Association, the National Forum on Smoke-free Multi-Unit Dwellings, and the Greater Toronto Home Builders Association.
Bob has written regular columns in The Toronto Star for 47 years. Since 2000, he has written about 700 columns onreal estate law in The Toronto Star’s New in Homes and Condos section and on the Star’s website. His Title Pagecolumn currently appears on alternate Saturdays in print, on thestar.com, and at www.aaron.ca.
In addition to real estate conveyancing, much of Bob’s practice is currently devoted to providing expert opinions inlitigation matters involving real estate. He testified as an expert witness in Orr v. Metropolitan TorontoCondominium Corp. No. 1056, and his opinion was accepted by the court, and quoted at length in the reporteddecision at [2011] O.J. No. 3898 and 2011 ONSC 4876. Justice Darla Wilson wrote, at paragraphs 260 ff. “Aaronwas qualified by the court as an expert in the conveyancing of real estate and in particular in the area ofcondominiums. I found Aaron to be a credible, knowledgeable witness who answered questions fairly. His evidencewas of great benefit to the court ...”
Bob served as an elected bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada for 16 years, from 1995 to 2011 before beingput out to pasture as an ex-officio bencher (2011 to date). He has served on many Law Society committees anddiscipline panels. He was vice-chair of the Law Society Foundation, the Society’s charitable arm for 16 years.
From 2008 to 2011, Bob was an Ontario government ministerial appointee to the board of the Tarion WarrantyCorporation, the regulator of the new home building industry in the province. From 2011 to 2014 he served as chairof its Consumer Advisory Council.
Bob has appeared on four segments of CBC-TV Marketplace:
January, 2008 - The Condo Crunch, with Wendy Mesley
January 2009, - New Home Nightmares - with Wendy Mesley
January, 2010 - Road to Rich Dad - with Erica Johnston
December, 2013 - You’re Not Covered - with Tom Harrington
And on April 4, 2014, on The Current, CBC Radio One, How a Long Cruel Winter is Driving Some People into aSnow Rage, with Piya Chattopadhyay
Bob has also appeared on numerous radio and TV interviews on CBC Radio One Toronto: Metro Morning, FreshAir, and Here & Now; and on the Roy Green show CHML Hamilton; CTV News and Canada AM; The MikeStafford Show - AM 640 Toronto Radio; Strictly Legal - BNN TV, and on the Peter Silverman show, CFRBNewsTalk1010.
Doug Bourassa Partner Direct:416-218-1145 Fax:416-218-1845 Email: [email protected]
Acting on behalf of both institutional and private lenders, Doug’s practice focuses primarily on real estate
litigation with an emphasis on secured creditor recovery and real estate fraud. He is highly regarded by
clients and colleagues alike for his expertise in mortgage remedies.
Doug was called to the Bar in 2005 after completing his law degree at the University of Western Ontario.
Doug is involved in industry associations, including his recent appointment as counsel to the Independent
Mortgage Brokers Association. Outside of the office, Doug makes it a practice to give back to the
community. In 2008, for example, he received the Volunteer of the Year award from the Ontario Lawyers
Assistance Program, and from 2009 – 2016 was a director of the Renascent Fellowship, a substance
abuse treatment facility in Ontario
Doug has written and presented extensively in the area of mortgage enforcement, creditor remedies, and
real estate litigation including the following:
Doug has been a speaker on mortgage enforcement topics at the Annual Real Estate Law
Summit in April 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016
Doug chaired the LSUC seminar “Mortgage Enforcement Essentials” in Sept. 2014 and 2016
Doug is the presenter of an LSUC E-Course titled ILA & ILR for Real Estate Lawyers
Doug has been a guest lecturer at Osgoode Hall Law School on mortgage enforcement topics,
and at the University of Western Ontario’s Law School on insolvency related topics
Doug organizes and participates as a judge annually in the Chaitons LLP Corporate Restructuring
Advocacy Competition held at UWO Law
Craig R. Carter
B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, 1974. LL.B. from the University of Toronto, 1977. LL.M.
from Osgoode Hall Law School, 1986. Called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979. Former Partner now
Counsel with the law firm of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. Certified by the Law Society of
Upper Canada as a specialist in Real Estate Law. Recognized by L’Expert as an expert in Property
Development and has Martindale highest AV rating. Engaged in commercial real estate practice
with an emphasis on easement law, mortgage law, mortgage remedies and opinions on solicitor’s
practice. Chaired and spoken at numerous OBA and LSUC programs on mortgage law,
foreclosures, land transfer tax, powers of sale and taking possession of property by a mortgagee,
title insurance, mortgage fraud, options to purchase, agreements of purchase and sale, contract
enforcement, easements, real estate remedies, contract frustration and ownership structuring. Is
past chair of the OBA Continuing Legal Education Committee, past chair of the OBA Real
Property Section and past chair of the CBA Real Property Section. Co-editor of Butterworths book
Agreements of Purchase and Sale and author of CCH Real Estate Guide chapter on Land Transfer
Tax. Contributing author for Falconbridge on Mortgages. Has taught Business Law at Ryerson.
Taught an LL.M. in Real Estate Finance at Osgoode Hall Law School in the part-time LL.M.
programme in 1998 and 2009 and in the Bankruptcy LL.M in 2014. Currently an adjunct professor
at Osgoode Hall Law School and Queen’s Law School teaching Real Estate Transactions and Real
Estate Finance. Recipient of the Award for Excellence in Real Estate given by the OBA. Recipient
of the Law Society Medal.
David Carter is the co-founding partner of Grechi Carter. His practice if focused in residential and
commercial real estate law, where he has helped hundreds of clients in purchasing, selling and
mortgaging their properties. David enjoys advising clients on structuring various real estate related
business opportunities including real estate development, mortgage brokering, mortgage syndications, and
establishing and administering mortgage trusts.
CYNTHIA A. CLINE
Cynthia Cline is an associate lawyer at Buset & Partners LLP in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She carries
on a practice in the areas of real estate, corporate commercial and mining law.
Ms. Cline received her LL.B. from the University of Windsor in 1999 and was admitted to the
Ontario Bar in 2002.
She articled at the firm Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg LLP and continued as an associate
lawyer there until 2005.
In 2005, she returned to her hometown of Thunder Bay and practiced at the law firm Carrel +
Partners LLP until 2015. She then worked with a sole practitioner in Thunder Bay with a focus on
real estate law before she joined her current employer Buset & Partners LLP, a full service firm in
Northwestern Ontario.
In addition to her practice at Buset & Partners, Ms. Cline is currently the instructor for the third
year real estate course at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law.
From 2013 to 2014, Ms. Cline was the chair of the real estate section for the annual Thunder Bay
Law Association Conference for Continuing Legal Education.
Rosalind is a partner with Fasken Martineau and is Certified by The Law Society of Upper
Canada as a Specialist in Environmental Law and is named in the 2016 Lexpert/American
Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. Also listed in The Best Lawyers in
Canada 2011-2017 for Environmental Law and in Chambers Global 2013-2016. Recognized by
Lexpert® as most frequently recommended for Environmental Law and in the International
Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers and the PLC Cross-border Environment Handbook.
Rosalind defends environmental charges, litigates contaminated land disputes and other
environmental matters, and is involved in appeals and environmental assessment proceedings
before the Environmental Review Tribunal. Rosalind has extensive experience advising on all
environmental regulatory issues, including exposure to environmental liability, brownfields
redevelopment, decommissioning and remediation of contaminated lands, project development,
approvals and reporting requirements. Provides environmental advice in relation to business
transactions. Also listed on the roster of mediators/arbitrators of the Canadian Centre for
Environmental Arbitration and Mediation.
Bram Costin Lawyer Profile
McCarthy Tétrault LLP mccarthy.ca
TITLE
Partner
OFFICE
Toronto
DIRECT LINE
416-601-7762
LAW SCHOOL
University of Toronto, JD, 1980
BAR ADMISSIONS
Ontario, 1982
Biography
Mr. Costin is a partner in our Real Property & Planning Group in Toronto. His practice covers a full range of
transactions, including leasing, acquisitions, development and financing.
Mr. Costin acts for both large and small developers, as well as Costco Canada and several large financial
institutions. His practice also includes insolvency and realization work related to real property.
Mr. Costin has spoken at sessions of the International Council of Shopping Centres and has participated in
seminars for the Law Society of Upper Canada, The Canadian Bar Association, Insight, Federated Press and
The Institute for International Research dealing with commercial leasing, conveyancing and receivership. He is
a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. He is a contributor to the
Second Edition of Shopping Centre Leases (2008). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the
Georgetown Law School Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute.
Mr. Costin appears in all editions of Lexpert/The American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in
Canada, in the area of property development. He also appears in the current edition of The Canadian Legal
Lexpert Directory, a guide to the leading law firms and practitioners in Canada, as a leading lawyer in the areas
of project finance, property development and property leasing. He is listed as a leading lawyer in real estate in
Who's Who Legal: Canada. Mr. Costin is recognized in both of the current editions of Chambers Global: The
World’s Leading Lawyers and Chambers Canada, in the area of real estate law. He is also listed in the current
edition of Best Lawyers in Canada, in the areas of real estate law and commercial leasing law and was named
the Best Lawyers’ 2011 Toronto Real Estate Lawyer of the Year and 2016 Toronto Commercial Leasing
Lawyer of the Year.
Andrew M. Fortis
Andrew Fortis is a founding partner with Hummingbird Lawyers LLP and leads its real estate and corporate commercial law groups. Andrew’s real estate practice involves residential, and commercial acquisitions, dispositions, financings and development. Andrew sits as an executive with the Ontario Bar Association Real Property Section and acts as its Secretary. He also acts at a Tutor with Support Services Tutoring Roster of the Law Society of Upper Canada for those undergoing the Licencing Process. Andrew has been called to the Bar in the State of New York (1999) and Ontario (2001). He obtained his bachelor of arts in political science with York University (1996), his Juris Doctor with Michigan State University (1999), and his masters in real property with Osgoode Hall (2011).
Christina Kobi is a Partner in the Commercial Leasing Group at McLean & Kerr LLP.
Christina has been selected by her peers for inclusion in the 11th Edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada® 2017 in the practice area of Commercial Leasing Law, and for many years she has been recognized in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory as a leading practitioner in Property Leasing.
Recently she was the recipient of the 2014 Lexpert ZENITH Award (Property Leasing) which recognizes excellence and leadership in setting new standards for the legal profession.
Christina acts as counsel to landlords, tenants, developers, property managers, franchisors and franchisees and tenancy dispute matters. She has expertise in sophisticated and volume leasing for major developers, international retail clients and national property managers. Her practice also includes coordinating large-scale due diligence projects on the acquisition of real estate.
Christina was co-chair of the ICSC Canadian Shopping Centre Law Conferences in 2010 and 2011 and served on the Board of Directors for Toronto CREW for a two-year period ending March 2013. Currently she is a Champion Director on the leadership of CREW Network Foundation -- the philanthropic arm of CREW Network. It is the only foundation in North America which dedicates its resources solely towards advancing women in the commercial real estate industry.
Christina is active as a lecturer and roundtable leader at conferences sponsored by the ICSC, CBA and LSUC.
Admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1997.
CHRISTINA C. KOBIB.Sc. (Hons.), LLB.
McLean & Kerr LLP
Tel: (416) 369.6626Fax: (416) 366.8571Email: [email protected]
JEFFREY W. LEM Director of Titles for the Province of Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services 20 Dundas Street West, 4th Floor Toronto, ON M5G 2C2
Jeffrey W. Lem is the Director of Titles for the Province of Ontario. In that capacity, he has responsibility for the Land Titles Act, the Registry Act, the Boundaries Act, the Land Registration Reform Act, as well as portions of other legislation relating to the almost 6.5 million parcels of land in the Province. Jeffrey also serves the broader legal community as a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada, where he vice-chairs the Professional Development and Competence Committee, and sits on the Proceedings Authorization Committee, the Real Estate Working Group, and the Alternative Business Structures Task Force. Jeffrey is certified as a Specialist in Real Estate Law by The Law Society of Upper Canada and is the proud recipient of the Ontario Bar Association's Award for Excellence in Real Estate, the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Toronto Lawyers Association’s Honsberger Award for Dedication to the Profession. He has also received Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating (AV®), and has been recognized in the real estate field in The Canadian Legal LEXPERT Directory, The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, The Best Lawyers in Canada, Chambers Global Guide, and The International Who's Who of Real Estate Lawyers.
Jeffrey is currently an editor-in-chief of the Real Property Reports (and, before that, an associate editor of the Digest of Real Property Law). He is also the author of the real estate law and expropriations law volumes of Halsbury's Laws of Canada, the legal editor for Building Magazine, and the real estate law columnist for Law Times. He was the first Canadian member ever elected to the American College of Mortgage Attorneys, and is a former long-standing member of the Executive Committee of the Real Property Section of the Ontario Bar Association. Jeffrey and has written widely for various journals and magazines, including the Real Property Reports, Municipal World, Building Magazine, Toronto Real Estate News, Digest of Real Property Law and Digest of Municipal and Planning Law. Jeffrey was an instructor in the real property section of the Bar Admission Course for Ontario and the Director of the LL.M. Program for Real Estate Law at Osgoode Hall Law School. Jeffrey is also a past president of the Association of Chinese Canadian Lawyers of Ontario, and speaks regularly for various continuing legal education organizations. Jeffrey has a B.Comm, UofT (1984), a J.D., Osgoode Hall (1987), and an LL.M. Osgoode Hall (2002). He was called to the bar in Ontario in 1989 and has been a solicitor on the rolls in England and Wales since 2000. Before joining the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, Jeffrey was a partner in several prominent Toronto law firms.
Leor Margulies
Partner
Robins Appleby & Taub LLP
Leor Margulies is the real estate group leader at Robins Appleby LLP and has been a respected
member of the Toronto real estate community for over 35 years. His valuable legal counsel is
sought out by financial institutions, real estate developers, property owners, and builders.
Leor specializes in residential high/low-rise development and construction financing, with an
emphasis on condominiums. His real estate group handles all types of commercial and industrial
developments, leasing and financing, including innovative public and private joint ventures and
co-tenancies, and community housing initiatives.
Since 1999, Leor has served as a director/secretary on the executive committee of BILD,
representing BILD on numerous industry issues.
John Mascarin Aird & Berlis LLP Brookfield Place Suite 1800, 181 Bay Street Toronto, ON M5J 2T9 Tel: 416.865.7721 Fax: 416.863.1515 [email protected]
John is a Partner with Aird & Berlis LLP and a member of its Municipal & Land Use Planning Group. He is a Certified Specialist by the Law Society of Upper Canada in Municipal Law: Local Government & Land Use Planning and Development.
Education
B.A. (Hons.) from the University of Toronto, 1983 M.A. from the University of Toronto, 1984 LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School, 1987 Admitted to the Ontario Bar, 1989
Areas of Practice
John practices in the areas of local government and municipal law, development, land use and planning law, and building and construction regulation. He provides advice, counsel and representation to both private and public sector clients and appears regularly before municipal councils, committees, public authorities and boards, administrative tribunals (particularly the Ontario Municipal Board) & the Ontario Courts.
Professional Activities
John is an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School where he teaches courses in both Municipal Law and Planning Law for LL.M., M.E.S & J.D. programs. He is the co-author of five published books: Annotated Land Development Agreements; the 2nd Edition of the Annotated Municipal Act; A Comprehensive Guide to the City of Toronto Act, 2006; Annotated Ontario Building Code Act and Ontario Municipal Act & Commentary as well as main contributor to the Municipal Law title for Halsbury’s Laws of Canada. John is the long-standing Editor-in-Chief of both the Municipal & Planning Law Reports and the monthly newsletter the Digest of Municipal & Planning Law as well as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Real Property Reports (with Jeffrey Lem). His articles, case comments and annotations have been extensively published and he is a frequent speaker on topics in the areas of municipal, land use, planning and development law at continuing education, professional and industry conferences.. He is a Past Chair of the Municipal Law Section of the Ontario Bar Association and an associate member of the International Municipal Lawyers Association
Mr. Russell B. Mathew Partner, Hemson Consulting Ltd.
Russell Mathew is a Partner with Hemson Consulting Ltd, with 31 years of professional experience. Russell is widely known for his expertise in the areas of demographic and economic forecasting and land economics. Along with developing forecasting methods that are today used by numerous municipalities and regions in Ontario, he has developed a range of skills in economic development-related studies, strategic planning and land economics, fiscal and financial modeling and analysis. He is most widely known for the preparation of long-term growth forecasts for all regions within the Greater Golden Horseshoe that are now the basis for Provincial, Regional and local planning in Southern Ontario. Mr. Mathew is a regular guest lecturer at various southern Ontario universities and for many professional conferences and events. He is professional credentials include membership in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Ontario Association of Land Economists. Russell has his undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta and a master’s degree from the University of Toronto. Outside of work, Russell has been a long-time board member of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and has been involved in a number of other arts and culture organizations in Toronto. He also likes to travel to exotic locales when he can, having travelled extensively in Ethiopia, South Africa, Brazil, Laos, Cambodia, Guatemala, France, Vietnam and India in the last decade.
Odysseas Papadimitriou, J.D.
Odysseas is a real estate lawyer at Harris Sheaffer LLP. His practice focuses on commercial real estate and land development, including acquisitions, dispositions, and financing, with an emphasis on condominium development.
Odysseas has also developed a particular expertise in condominium law. He represents and advises condominium corporations on a variety of issues, including condominium governance, reciprocal agreements, dispute resolution, lien enforcement, management and operation, and third party contracts.
Prior to joining Harris Sheaffer LLP, Odysseas was a real estate associate at Miller Thomson LLP, and prior to that at Meyer, Wassenaar & Banach LLP, where he participated in the acquisition, disposition, leasing, development and financing of various real estate projects and portfolios.
Odysseas is also a member of a number of professional and industry associations, including the Ontario Bar Association – Real Property Law Section Executive, the Urban Land Institute, the Canadian Condominium Institute – Toronto Chapter, and is a member of the board of directors of the Hellenic Canadian Lawyers Association.
Odysseas received his J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2009 and also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from York University. Odysseas can be reached at [email protected].
Paul Perell, B.A., LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D., L.S.M., a judge of the Ontario
Superior Court of Justice, appointed in May 2005, former adjunct professor
at Osgoode Hall Law School (1991-2014) and former adjunct professor at
the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (2007-2016), former partner at
WeirFoulds, LLP, where he practiced civil litigation and legal research,
former editor of the Ontario Reports and the author of numerous articles and
of the books The Law of Civil Procedure in Ontario (with John W. Morden),
Conflicts of Interest in the Legal Profession, The Fusion of Law and Equity,
Remedies and the Sale of Land (2nd ed., with Bruce H. Engel), Real Estate
Transactions, and The Law of Class Actions in Canada (with Warren K.
Winkler, Jasminka Kalajdzic and Alison Warner), awarded the Law Society
Medal, the Ontario Bar Association’s Award for Excellence in Real Estate,
the James L. Lewtas Professorship in Commercial Law at Osgoode Hall
Law School, the Ontario Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award,
the Osgoode Professional Development CLE Award, and the David W.
Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing.
Maurizio Romanin
Maurizio Romanin graduated from the University of Toronto Law School in 1985, was called to
the Bar of Ontario in 1987, and joined the firm of DelZotto, Zorzi where he practiced extensively
in the fields of commercial real estate, condominium and freehold land development, and bank
financing. During his tenure with DelZotto Zorzi, he also acted as co-counsel to the Urban
Development Institute, the Greater Toronto Home Builders Association and the Ontario Home
Builders Association with respect to a number of development-related matters, including the
proposed amendments to The Condominium Act and has been retained by the Ontario New Home
Warranty Program (now Tarion) to provide opinions regarding condominium issues.
Maurizio has been on the Real Property Executive of the Ontario Bar Association (“OBA”) Real
Property Section since 1989, and served as Chair of the Real Property Executive from 1995 to
1998. He currently holds the position of Member at Large.
Mr. Romanin acted as the co-chair of the OBA’s Condominium Committee and in this capacity,
made extensive representations and submissions to the Ontario government regarding
condominium law and statutory amendments thereto.
Maurizio Romanin was also the co-chair of the Law Society and OBA Joint Committee on the
Electronic Registration of Title Documents. He was an instructor and lecturer at the Real Estate
Section of the Bar Admission Course since 1992, and has authored numerous papers for the Law
Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association and other educational institutions.
Maurizio is also currently a member of the Joint OBA/CDLPA Working Group on Lawyers and
Real Estate. He received his L.L.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2001 and has also
completed the Arbitration Course, Part 2 at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing
Studies.
In 1995, Maurizio was one of two co-founders of the TitlePLUS title insurance initiative for
LAWPRO, the Ontario based mandatory lawyer errors and omissions insurer. He is currently a
practicing lawyer, President and CEO of LawyerDoneDeal Corp and Chairman of Attorneys Title
Guarantee Fund (a U.S. title insurance underwriter headquartered in Denver Colorado).
BIOGRAPHY
Reuben M. Rosenblatt, Q.C., LSM P a r t n e r : M i n d e n G r o s s L L P
Direct Line: (416) 369-4110
Fax Number: (416) 864-9223 [email protected]
Practice Area:
Commercial Real Estate; Real Estate and Mortgage Remedies; Mediation; Arbitration; Conflict Resolution
Reuben is the Chair and a senior member of the Real Estate Group. His practice focuses on complex real estate
issues, mediation and arbitration.
As part of his practice of law, Reuben arbitrates and mediates commercial disputes including real estate, family and
estate disputes, leases, condominium and insurance issues. He has been appointed by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to act as Estate Trustee During Litigation, Trustee/Liquidator and Sales Officer in the management and
sale of industrial and residential portfolios as well as an Independent Lawyer for the Sale of Property.
Reuben is a frequent lecturer on real estate related issues at professional institutes including The Law Society of
Upper Canada and Toronto Lawyers Association, legal associations and universities; He has been an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School since 1977 teaching the Real Estate Transactions Course.
Law School: Osgoode Hall Law School
Year of Call: 1959 Year Joined the Firm: 1982
Awards and Achievements:
Recipient of The Law Society Medal (2007) Recipient of Award of Excellence in Teaching at Osgoode Hall Law School (1994 and 2005) First Recipient of Canadian Bar Association Award of Excellence in Real Estate in January, 1996 Gold Key Award by the Osgoode Hall Alumni Association for significant contributions to the law school, the profession and society Listed in Best Lawyers® in Canada Ranked with an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell (for legal expertise and professional reputation) Recognized as one of Canada’s leading Property Development lawyers by The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory
Affiliations:
Associate Editor and Contributor for Real Property Reports Steering Committee re Questions of Judgment: Standards of Professional Conduct in Reviewing and Opining on Title Matters Programme Committee for Special Lectures for the Law Society of Upper Canada Canadian Bar Association Canadian Association of Law Teachers Metropolitan Toronto Lawyers Association Law Society of Upper Canada Former Member: Real Estate Issues Committee (Law Society of Upper Canada) Programme Committee for the 1998 to 2009 Institute of Continuing Legal Education for the Canadian Bar Association-Ontario
ALAN G. SILVERSTEIN
Called to the Bar in 1977, Alan G. Silverstein has been at the forefront of real estate and
mortgage issues for over three decades as a writer, lecturer, commentator and media personality.
Certified as a Specialist in Real Estate Law by the Law Society of Upper Canada, Alan has
written five books on real estate and mortgage financing, including The Perfect Mortgage and
Home Buying Strategies for Resale Homes, plus hundreds of newspaper and magazine columns
dealing with those issues. He is a regular speaker at continuing professional development
programs sponsored by organizations including the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Ontario
Bar Association, the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario, and local law associations. From 1997
to 2003 Alan was a director of the Real Estate Council of Ontario, the regulator of real estate
agents and brokers in Ontario. During his 12 year term as an Elected Bencher at the Law Society
of Upper Canada from 2003 to 2015, Alan served on many committees, working groups and task
forces including Audit and Finance; Alternative Business Structures; Proceedings Authorization;
Professional Development and Competence; Real Estate Working Group; Government
Relations; and Sole Practitioner and Small Firm. Alan is a past Director of the Lawyers’
Professional Indemnity Company (LawPRO); a past Chair of LibraryCo (which manages the
Ontario courthouse library system); and a past Chair of the provincial Motor Vehicle Dealers
Compensation Fund (which compensates consumers who suffer a financial loss when transacting
with a registered motor vehicle dealer). He is now an Emeritus Bencher at the Law Society.
Alan returned to private practice in 2011, focusing on real estate transactions and mortgage
financing, after developing TELUS’ Assyst Real Estate initiative from 2006 to 2010.
Alan G. Silverstein
Barrister and Solicitor
14 Windhaven Terrace
Thornhill, Ontario L4J 7N9
Certified as a Specialist in Real Estate Law by the Law Society of Upper Canada
Tel: (905) 886-0300
Email: [email protected]
Ian Speers
Ian Speers carries on a legal practice located in south Etobicoke, concentrating on real
estate, wills, and estate planning.
Ian is in his sixth consecutive term sitting on Ontario Bar Association's Real Property
Section Executive, serving as the Chair of the executive He has both chaired
programmes and delivered papers at continuing education sessions presented by the
Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario Bar Association, and is sessional faculty
at Queen’s University Faculty of Law, teaching Land Transactions. He has also
volunteered extensively at Law Help Ontario, a civil court duty counsel project
operated by Pro Bono Law Ontario, assisting self-represented parties in litigation.
A graduate of Queen's law school, Ian also holds a bachelor's degree from the
University of Toronto in ancient and mediaeval history. He grew up in Etobicoke.
Prior to practising law, Ian worked for more than a decade in Canadian interuniversity
sport media relations. He is a past Sports Information Director of the University of
Toronto Varsity Blues, and during his time in law school also served as the media
coordinator for the Queen's Golden Gaels football team. He has been actively involved
with the Vanier Cup, Canada's national university football championship, since 1998, an
involvement that continues as the Vanier Cup archivist, and game-week assistant (as
work obligations permit). Having significant historical knowledge of the development
of Canadian football in the 19th century, Ian is a co-author of the book, 150 Years of
Football at the University of Toronto: 1861 to 2011, in addition to a number of other articles
and monographs. A keen numismatist, Ian has penned articles on the pre-
Confederation token currency of Canada.
Ian Speers, B.A., LL.B.
Barrister, Solicitor and Notary Public
3280 Bloor Street West, Suite 1140
Toronto, Ontario M8X 2X3
T: 416.912.4886
F: 1.866.812.7439
Sarah J. Turney
Associate, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Sarah’s practice is focused on written and oral advocacy involving a wide range of real property,
municipal and environmental matters. Sarah appears before the Assessment Review Board and
regularly advises tenants and property owners on taxation and property assessment matters. She
advises private businesses, landowners and ratepayer groups on a broad range of regulatory matters
including zoning and Building Code infractions, by-law interpretation, sign regulation, property
standards, development charges and property assessment and taxation. Sarah also appears before
the Ontario Municipal Board and various committees, seeking or opposing development approvals
and applications.
Sarah’s litigation practice is focused on real property disputes including complex easement issues,
boundary disputes, adverse possession claims, mortgages, condominiums and post-closing
disputes.
Jerry B. Udell
Called to the Bar in 1976. Mr. Udell is a senior partner with the McTague
Law Firm, in Windsor Ontario. He restricts his practice to the areas of Real
Estate, and Mortgage Remedies, Estates and Corporate / Commercial
matters. He has a B.A. and an LL.B. from The University of Windsor. He is
counsel to a number of Credit Unions, Banks and Financial Institutions. Mr.
Udell frequently presents papers to the Law Society of Upper Canada and
the Ontario Bar Association as well as several other professional groups, on
various aspects of Real Estate practice including Real Estate and Mortgage
Remedies.
He is previously served as the elected representative to the Ontario Bar
Association for Southwestern Ontario District. And was elected Bencher to
the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2015. Also a Certified Specialist in
Real Estate Jerry is proud to be the recipient of to the Ontario Bar
Association Award for Distinguished Service in 2016. He also serves on the
board of Director for various organizations including, Hospice of Windsor
and The Windsor Airport Board.
Tannis was called to the bar in 2003 and practices in the areas of real
estate, corporate/commercial, and estate planning. She practiced in a
boutique firm in Toronto for three years before becoming a sole
practitioner practicing in the areas of real estate, estate planning and
corporate.
As a former Trustee for the Toronto Lawyers Association, Tannis has
been involved in advocacy and education initiatives, most notably the
moderator and presenter of continuing education programmes and writer
of articles for the TLA journal. She currently sits on the education
committee which is responsible for producing CPD programmes for
Toronto lawyers.
She is also a member of the Condominium Sub-documents Committee of the Working Group on
Lawyers and Real Estate which is responsible for producing province-wide precedent materials
for condominium transactions.
Tannis is a frequent presenter for continuing legal education programmes and, in the past, has
spoken on the issue of real estate, estates and ethics for the Canadian Bar Association,/Ontario Bar
Association, Law Society of Upper Canada, The Commons Institute, The Institute of Law Clerks
for Ontario and the Toronto Lawyers Association.
Tannis A. Waugh
Barrister and Solicitor
672 Dupont Street, Suite 304
Toronto, ON M6G 1Z6
Tel.: 416.533.2996 Ext. 28
Fax: 416.533.6634
www.tannisw.com
Twitter: @tanniswaugh
SRAndrea White
Andrea White is a partner in Toronto. Andrea White joined Shibley Righton LLP in April, 2011, bringing to the firm a broad base of experience, especially in the areas of real property law and business immigration.
On the real estate side, Andrea has a broad experience, She represents one of the charitable foundation’s lotteries, has advised on the purchase and financing of a very large commercial/industrial portfolio, and has acted for one of the largest landlords in Canada. On the other hand, she has also acted for individual tenants on their commercial leases, demonstrating a wide range of ability and experience.
On the immigration side, Andrea has represented multinational companies, usually with regards to their international mobility programs, across a broad spectrum of industries. This includes food, retail, large manufacturing, insurance, consultancy, and automotive parts. In addition, she has been retained by entertainment companies, most often to help actors, producers, directors, and film crews obtain work permits and to overcome inadmissibility issues. In addition to applications for work permits, she also represents clients for temporary residence applications, such as study permits, and for permanent residence applications, retention of permanent residency, and acquisition of citizenship.
Before joining Shibley Righton LLP, Andrea spent more than a decade in the Toronto office of one of Canada’s largest national firms, building a reputation in business real estate and immigration. She was the senior lawyer for the firm across Canada and overseas, and in terms of real estate, developed solid expertise in commercial, industrial, carriage trade residential, financings, refinancing, mining and leasing, resolve immigration and real estate.
Andrea has spoken at such organizations as the Quebec Bar Association, the U.S.-Canada Board of Trade Joint Conference in Washington, D.C., and the Centre for International Legal Studies in Salzburg, Austria. She has been an instructor for the Real Estate section for the Canadian Bar Association Course, and is a member of the Ontario Bar Association Real Estate and Immigration sections. She is also a past member of the executive of the immigraiton section, and is a past member of the International Centre for Shopping Centres, the mentor committee of Commercial Real Estate Women, and the Centre for International Legal Studies. She has spoken at the Six Minute Commerical Leasing seminars and has been a contributor to the Real Property Reports providing case commentaries. She has also written chapters in several books including the Shopping Centre Leases and Distress.
Andrea has an Honours B. A. from the University of Western Ontario, and earned her law degree from the University of New Brunswick. She articled in Toronto and was called to the Bar in 1991.
Andrea may be reached at:T: 416.214.5202F: 416.214.5402E: [email protected]: www.shibleyrighton.com
Called to the BarOntario (1991)
Law SchoolUniversity of New Brunswick, LL.B.
UndergraduateUniversity of Western Ontario, B.A. (Hons)
Areas of Practice Business Law Condominium Law Immigration Law Real Estate Wills and Estates Mining and ResourcesLeasing
MembershipsOntario Bar AssociationThe Law Society of Upper Canada
Partner, LL.B., B.A. (Hons.)
